The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the murder conviction of an Iraqi war veteran who blamed his crime on post-traumatic stress disorder.

James Allen Gregg, 26, shot and killed James L. Fallis, 26, on the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota. The two men were involved in an altercation in July 2004, four months after Gregg returned from Iraq.

Gregg was convicted of second-degree murder. On appeal, he said Fallis was the aggressor and that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The 8th Circuit rejected Gregg's defenses and upheld his conviction. He was ordered to serve 21 years for the crime.

Get the Story:
Panel upholds Crow Creek murder conviction (AP 7/3)

Court Decision:
US v. Gregg (June 29, 2006)

Related Stories:
Iraqi war veteran guilty of reservation murder (01/24)